


Over The Edge

by Anesther



Category: Ava's Demon
Genre: F/M, Mentions others
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2018-09-29 19:34:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10142420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anesther/pseuds/Anesther
Summary: Odin and Ava have become close friends throughout the years. They realize that there may be more to it than that; or not. Depending on how far they're willing to go to examine themselves and each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a multi-chapter fic that's about a year or so old, but is back in-progress. Chapters one through four are currently being re-edited of mistakes, some demode concepts (without forsaking the total idea), and whatever I don't like. Everything after them will be brand new and set out for completion.

He noticed it before she did—that was the first mistake.

Because once he saw it, he couldn’t ignore it.

Ava was unaware of the way she stared at him. She’d stand close, keeping beside him. He attributed her newfound nearness based on their growing friendship, as the two of them had found more in common with each other throughout the years they spent searching the vastness of stars, blanketed in infinite shadows.

Odin enjoyed being with her.

She was a friend, the closest companion he’d ever had outside of family, before those bonds were broken. He realized he could depend on her for much. Despite her temper clashing with his, the early stages of their camaraderie were some of the best experiences with people he’d had in years.

He found himself confiding in her over things he never thought he’d share. Intimate details of a life he left behind.

She’d listen, care, tell him she was there if he needed anything; said he mattered to her deeply.

Odin shouldn’t have been surprised, then, when he looked at her one day and realized she developed feelings for him. Some people had guessed.

Ava was oblivious for a while.

Her hands would brush his, and only he knew what it meant. She didn’t assume anything was different—thought everything was the same, static, consistent.

In the midst of her inertia, Odin found himself moving.

But not in her direction.

Needless to say, he panicked. It didn’t last long—the anxiety. He figured he could continue to be aloof on the matter, and as long as she remained ignorant, no one would get hurt. Nothing had to change.

The flaw was his assumption that Ava would not eventually examine and accept her feelings, notice the distance, catch the worry etched in his face when she came a little too close.

“We’re friends,” she said, “Why won’t you talk to me?”

“I don’t know,”

“You’re not telling me the truth,”

“Ava, I’m s-sorry, there’s a l-lot going on in my head right n-now,”

Ava approached him, “I know, so why can’t you tell me about it?”

“I just c-can’t, okay?” he told her lamely, pulling away from warm hands.

She didn’t understand the emptiness expanding inside her chest, fire burning the insides of her neck, spewing up in a hot lurch that still didn’t burn as much as his words.

Ava pulled him down, fingers clenched in his shirt, lips pressing against his. He didn’t move, shocked, kept his mouth from moving against that warm flesh. He shut his eyes as he pushed her back, unable to look at her.

He shook his head.

“But…” her voice was weak.

“You don’t know what you want,”

Too dejected to be livid, or to combat the blatant lie, she withdrew, left him standing there. He felt horrible.

Because she deserved better.

And he realized how badly he wanted it too.

()

They manage a façade among the others. Surprisingly, Ava is as good as he is in pretending everything’s fine.

When they are alone, however, she’s more frigid than he’d ever seen her, the little words she’d direct at him blunt, hard as ice. He didn’t expect to be forgiven. He is the one who taught her to learn to hold a grudge if the offense was hurtful enough.

What he’d done was cruel—but it is for her sake.

Though he learned he had wanted her too, he won’t ever be enough for a person like her.

Ava keeps herself at bay for a while, confused, hurt. Furious.

She speaks to no one, indignation blinding her.

Who is he to tell her no?

She becomes reckless, her fury cold, battlefields the best place for her to forget it all, and scream as harsh as she wants, letting her voice seer the air.

Wrathia tells her that if she hadn’t known better, Ava is formidable for any Vengess.

She is too detached to care about the comparison, hollow once again.

Odin hesitates coming to her. She remains upset, likely not wanting anything to do with him. But she is still his friend, important, and he had to intervene. She comes so close to dying when they fight, and she ceased protecting people out of the desire of her heart.

It isn’t her.

“Ava, w-we need to talk,”

She says nothing, brandishing a weapon before setting it down. Horns recede into her scalp, skin molding over the cavities, barely wincing. They were all used to their transformations now. She turns to face him, finger on her chin, “About what?”

He steps forward, “You could’ve g-gotten hurt,”

“I can’t die or get hurt,” she states, nonchalant.

“I k-know that, but we can’t afford t-to lose you,”

Ava raises a brow, squinting up at him, “Does that include you?”

“Y-Yes,” he tells her, “I know w-we’re not… right, right now, b-but I don’t w-want… you to get h-hurt,”

The sincerity in his voice makes her heart skip a beat. Ava exhales, brushing back her hair, “Thanks for your concern, but I’m fine,”

“Ava, I—”

“I wish you would stop talking to me,”

His mouth shuts tight, staring down at her.

“You’ve said what you had to. I’ll be more careful, but I won’t make any promises,”

The man’s shoulders stiffen, mind whirring, thoughts flickering too quickly to process, “Ava, I know y-you’re angry at me b-b-but that’s no reason f-for y-you to go and be b-brash in battle,”

“ _Fine._ I heard you the first time,”

“And you just told me y-you won’t make p-promises,” Odin reminds her harshly, “You c-can’t say things like that,”

“Now you’re going to tell me what to say?” she snaps, tone clipped, “First, you tell me what I feel—what I want, and now you’re telling me what to promise?”

“T-That’s not wh-what I meant to s-sound like,”

Ava whirls around, eyes scorching his, “You _never_ mean to sound like this, or that, or anything,”

“Hey, w-wait—”

“No!” Ava yells, marching up to him, finger stabbing his chest, “You know what, whatever you have to say, save it. I know you. If you don’t want to handle this, fine, let it go—I have,”

He shoves her hand away, glowering, “No, y-you haven’t, you’re standing here yelling at m-me about it,”

Frustrated, she growls, teeth grating together, hands tugging at her hair, “You’re such a boor! I’m leaving,”

His arm whips out, gripping her wrist. She tugs and he hauls her back, her form colliding against his.

“G-God, I’m s-sorry, okay? I’m sorry I c-can’t feel much, or s-say anything to m-make you feel better but I’m sorry!” he shouts, heart pounding, worried that if she left, that would be it—nothing will be the same. He’s already had to change his life before, and he didn’t have to die to do that.

Ava sighs, placing her hands over that pulse, strong and frantic, under his skin.

“You’re such an ass,” she murmurs, palms gliding down his chest.

Odin swallows, trying to remember what he was going to say. He puts his hands on her shoulders.

Ava’s hands suddenly tighten, voice a soft, deadly hiss, “Do _not_ do what you did to me again,”

“I w-wasn’t going to,”

“You weren’t going to do anything more either, were you?”

Exhaling gradually, trying to breathe, wanting to smoke, Odin shakes his head.

She extracts herself from him, beginning to walk away.

“Ava, I… I d-don’t know what to think a-anymore,”

She pauses, tilting her head to stare at him, “Well, what are you thinking now?”

He thinks of rushing forward and kissing her, shoving his hands into her hair, body against the wall, and she can tremble from something other than fear and anger. He thinks of it so often it hurts, and all he can do is lay awake at night, his touch a pale imitation of what he imagines hers to be like, trying to imagine her there, what her sounds would be; then the dawn will rise with that empty loneliness he’s been crushed by all his life, finding nothing.

“Odin?”

He finds her back in front of him, the proximity between them practically nonexistent. Her hands reach up, hovering in the air, wanting to reach out, needing him to say something.

He can’t have her keep hating him, or endangering herself, the others and their mission.

He can’t keep denying himself their needs.

There’s a reason why he tried to be stubborn, rejecting her back then. He can’t recall.

Odin bends down, mouth pushing against hers, hands holding her sides. She gasps, lips parting. Carefully, Ava opens her mouth wider, his tongue slipping in.

Their bodies freeze, surprised by the heat.

Heart racing, Odin delves his tongue further in, sliding over hers. Their kiss is awkward, at first, teeth clashing over the other, but enjoyable. Her moan vibrates inside his mouth, lips molding over his, small fingers digging into his hair. He lets out an inaudible groan, pulling her in, arms wrapping around her frame.

Ava pants, breath hot on his cheek, growing bolder with each movement. His hands lay on both sides of her waist, gentle, even as hers roughly stroke down his spine. Without thought, her hips grind over his, flustered and dizzy.

Odin stops, pulling back.

Ava’s eyes flutter open, vaguely meeting his, cheeks flushed from heat. Odin swallows, brushing back her hair.

“Ava, w-wait,”

“I don’t want to wait,”

He chuckles, “I c-can tell. What I m-mean is…”

Her hand moves up to touch his shoulder, “What?”

“I w-want to do something to you, b-but I wanted to ask first,”

This he can do better than kissing.

She nods slowly, curious, “Okay,”

Ava finds him inching towards her neck, lips grazing the sensitive skin of her collarbone. She closes her eyes, hand sliding up his spine, hand grasping the back of his head. His tongue moves over tepid skin, fingers hooking past her clothes.

Breathing hitched, Ava’s body tightens when his hands brush over her clit. Eyes wide, she rapidly blinks, perplexed by the sudden shock that shot up her body. Odin holds still.

She kisses the scruff on his jawline, prickling her lip, the closest area she can reach. He notes the encouragement in there, fingers pushing upward. She moans low in his ear, thumb stroking the clit in the tight space, hand chafing against her pants.

Ava huffs, heat pooling in the pit of her stomach, chest becoming tight. She feels his hand shove down her clothes, giving him less restriction; she sighs, absentmindedly spreading her legs, thinking of how long she’s wanted to do this, having tried several times but being too nervous about her body to begin, let alone complete anything. Odin taking the initiative helped, she muses, hand going under his shirt, feeling him shake from her limb resting there.

Odin slowly drags his fingers over supple flesh, growing slick from his touch. His thumb rotates over the head of her clit, gently pushing down. She squirms, a harsh whine leaving her, head craning forward, nails digging into his clothes and skin.

His mouth skims over her throat, kissing her, missing the taste of her. She suckles his lower lip, causing him to whimper, and she pushes it further in, gliding languidly over teeth. Odin’s fingers curl inward, inner walls coated in come, making her shudder. They slither up, two fingers on either side of the clit. Steadily, he increases the pace, her mouth drawing away from his, panting heavily.

Odin watches her face, the way her brows knit together, eyes squeezed shut as he fondles the head, rubbing it as fast as he dares, prolonging her orgasm. Her hands fists behind him, tugging his hair, swallowing every couple of breaths, face flushed, beautiful.

He hugs her close, angling his wrist as he continues to stroke past coarse, soft hairs, chin resting on a slender shoulder.

She pants, hazily staring up at the ceiling, glancing at dark hair, smoothing down the patch that never wants to go down; she smiles when it flicks back up before her eyes shut tight again, feeling the tempo rise. Ava writhes under him, back arching, his curving over hers, face covered by red hair, feeling her grow hotter.

His thumb circles the head, moving quick, feeling the buildup he can notice but never achieve anymore; Odin presses down, fingers squeezing the clit carefully, a loud cry leaving her. He smirks when her hips gyrate over them, taking it as a good sign. He repeats the action several more times, growing wet, the musky scent filling the air. He breathes it in as she claws down his back, a sense of calm overtaking his thoughts as he listens to the young woman under him whimper, desperate, and this is the way it should be—where there’s only heat, and the body is there to experience those sensations.

Ava whispers his name into his neck, faint, affectionate.

Odin’s eyes widen slightly, mind going blank, pinching down on the clit. Her entire form spasms, biting down on his shoulder, screaming into it.

Her pants quietly subside, huffing, constricted chest loosening from the collapse.

“Breathe, A-Ava,” he murmurs, stroking her hair.

She gulps, blinking, almost owlishly once the realization hits, “Wow…”

Odin pulls away, unable to help the grin that stretches across his face, pride filling him up.

“That was…” utters Ava, inhaling slowly, his hand continuing to caress her scalp, trying to find words.

“G-Good?”

“Yeah!” she cheers, face lighting up, from the excitement and the afterglow. Odin’s thoughts stumble, Ava looking more precious than anyone he’d ever seen.

He clears his throat, lamely saying, “W-Well, glad you enjoyed it…”

“Can we do this again sometime?”

Odin stares into fire, sparked with fervor.

He should tell her no.

Odin mulls it over as he watches her pull her clothes on, glancing up at him expectedly when she finishes.

Ava patiently waits, though a silent discontent starts to swirl inside her mind, making her anxious. Outwardly, she smiles, but she wonders what she’ll do if he rejects her again.

He sighs, gently looking down at her, “S-Sure,”

Ava grins, too giddy from the newfound emotions to suspect anything in his tone. She bounds over on tiptoes, lifting herself up to plant a kiss on his cheek. Odin watches her leave the room, descending into a noiseless world where it still smells like her and the sounds in his head is her voice in all its shapes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosie palms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so funny.

Odin swallows after hearing the door shut, feeling the tight erection bulging against the fabric of his clothes. He clears his throat, then shakes his head. He begins taking deep breaths.

That wasn’t good.

He tries to walk, deciding against it.

Odin Arrow stares down at the floor, shoulders hanging in defeat, reminiscing of when touching himself used to be enough of a high, before the violet vapors, after the wake of his parents’ deaths.

No one’s going to come in, he thinks, fingers fiddling the edge of his pants.

_But what would be the point?_

It’s why he stopped a long time ago. There’s nothing to be gained from it.

In the end, he feels lonelier than when he doesn’t masturbate; far from home, encased, alone, in metal, the hum of the ship a distant sound. He could scream as loud as he wanted, throat raw from emotions he’d have to suppress, lest the demon heard, to use those thoughts against him.

Even if the monster saw, lurking in shadows, he lost his sense of modesty somewhere in between realizing life was pointless and death at the hands of his family was inevitable; so he’d latch onto images he’d conjure up: his skin on someone else’s, hearing his name burn his ears, valued, whispered in sweet undertones.

Ava did that.

Sighing, Odin sweeps his hair aside, a shudder skidding down his back. Odin experimentally steps forward, the erection decreased. He continues on, opening the door and treading down the hallway.

()

He busies himself with chores, menial labor, tedious tasks, everything but Ava Ire. They’ve decided to rest, having land on an uncharted planet that TITAN has not yet found, a haven from the rest of the totalitarian system. The others mind their business, focused on their own goals, plans, and desires.

Surreptitiously, Odin glances around: Olai sits with their sisters, Magpie in his lap, looking around curiously, as he, Raven and Crow converse; Gil rests under a tree while Maggie bickers with their newest acquaintance, who obviously has a thing for her, though Odin couldn’t guess why.

Ava’s not around.

Odin feels his heart drop.

Oh, that’s no good.

He absentmindedly rechecks their list of provisions, eyes glazing.

Did she hate it?

_Of course she hated it._

Scowling, Odin tries to focus on something else.

_She didn’t really like it. She only wanted to be nice._

That’s ridiculous. Odin knows what people are like, whether they’re aware of it themselves or not. She did not fake anything.

“Hey,”

Odin’s fingers bend, snapping the pen in his hand.

Olai grumbles, “Really?”

“S-Sorry…” Odin utters, ink blotches spattered on his arm, paper and clothes.

“Have you finished checking around?”

“Y-Yeah, uh, th-there’s not a l-lot gone yet. We should b-b-be fine for a c-couple months,”

Olai nods, “Go clean up. Dinner’s in a few hours.”

“I’m n-not gonna eat,”

A flash of concern passes over Olai’s face, folding his arms, “You sick?”

“N-No, I just… I’m f-fine, I’m not hungry i-is all.”

Narrowing his eyes, Olai replies, “Fine. But go clean up anyway. Ava!”

Odin’s chest tightens.

Ava jogs over, appearing from nowhere, “Yes, Olai?”

“You about done with the laundry?”

“Yeah,”

“’Fraid we got one more shirt for you,” Olai states, hiking his thumb in Odin’s direction.

Ava turns to him, “Okay, sure. It’s no problem.”

Odin stands stock-still, the young man hoping she can’t hear his heart thudding.

Pivoting his body to leave, Olai raises a brow, “Give her the shirt, man,”

Quietly, Odin pulls it off, handing it over. Ava’s fingers brush over his knuckles, tips gentle against dry skin. Her gaze roves over his abdomen, skimming hotly over the scar slashed over the flesh, sliding up to meet his eyes, smoldering in the dying light of the sun.

Though it’s instant, Odin finds himself rooted by the stare, lost.

Ava breaks the eye contact, shattering time and he’s back in the present.

Odin exhales low. Casting a sideways glance, he eyes the sway of her hips. Maggie and Gil rush up to walk alongside her, her friend complaining about how bossy his brother was. Odin meanders blankly to his quarters, locking the door.

He sits on the bed, chin resting on the back of his hands, fingers linked together. They suddenly scratch along the scalp, nails tugging dark hair, the sound rough.

There’s no point in giving into pleasure. It doesn’t do anything.

Unbidden, her groans swell inside his head, breath balmy on his face, moaning deeply as her fingers rake down his back, his own hands caressing another human being. He remembers holding her close, as he felt her fall over a precipice he hasn’t experienced in ages.

He unbuttons his pants.

The demon is inside his mind.

He’s alone.

Alone.

Odin’s fingers grip the member, tempo slow. He inhales, closing his eyes, her lips dragging him down, kiss heady, tongue slipping around in his mouth. His hand glides under the shaft, groaning to himself, her sighs echoing in the memory, panting rapidly against his throat; Odin’s palm smoothing over the head of his cock, he grunts, her body flushed against his as his fingers slid over her clit, her hips pressing against his hand.

Gasp lodged in the back of his throat, Odin’s movements increase in speed, growing warm, heart pulsating quickly. He thinks of Ava moaning into his teeth, shivers stabbing over his frame, as her hand slithers down his chest, fingers circling the head.

Odin silently cries out, imagery unyielding in his mind’s eye, her thumb rubbing over the tip, murmuring his name as her knuckles brush over the scrotum. Sweat beads down the side of his head, Odin’s respiring dense. He’s faintly aware of his back on cool sheets, continuing to imagine Ava hovering him, trailing kisses down his stomach, a tender one pressed gently on the scar marked across pale skin.

Steadily, his hand moves quicker along the shaft, member throbbing, aching. He clenches his teeth, hissing, bending upward, pelvis raised as he feels that elusive cliff arrive closer. Ava’s mouth hovers over the cock, tongue slithering downward. Odin moans her name, huffing desperately in the heat, feverish, member hardening as he struggles to swallow back the yell.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Odin’s groans are swift as his fingers, body tense, and even in the dark Ava’s face is clear, mouth parted in orgasm, grinning shyly up at him. Odin covers his mouth, screaming as he comes.

He’s not actually alone.

People can hear.

He waits to see if there's anything outside his room. Hearing nothing, he relaxes on the bed.

He feels the throbbing subside, the fire thawing his skin recede.

Shakily, Odin props himself on his elbows, staring down at himself, white streaks coursing down the member. His breath is a long, steady whoosh.

Odin smiles tiredly.

It’s been so long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The saga of Rosie Palms continues.

Methodically Ava chews her food, glimpsing around the table.

“Where’s Odin?” she asks.

“His room,” Olai replies, cutting into his food.

“Why Ava?” Raven teases, “You miss him?”

Ava smiles politely, “Nope.”

“Aww, not even a little bit—” Raven attempts again.

“Rae, shut it and eat,” orders Olai.

Properly silenced, Ava ignores the talk around her, wondering why he hadn’t bothered to arrive—Odin doesn’t turn down food. Not when it's scarce.

Was it because of what happened the week before?

Finishing her meal, Ava excuses herself, leaving the others to clean up, as she had done most of the work today. Olai was far more reasonable with her than he was with Odin. She wonders if he’s okay.

She halts in front of his door, remaining motionless. He might be asleep.

She sidesteps, wanting to knock but not wanting to seem…needy.

He certainly hadn’t seemed affected by it.

There was no real talk of sex in the school she was trapped in; but she had surmised boys around her age were persistent, if not violent, as no one bothered to keep them in check. They clocked in to class, sat, and left to do as much as they pleased without getting caught. Yet Odin hadn’t done anything—he allowed her to leave, didn’t ask for favors in return.

Or, possibly, she’s not as desirable to him as he was for her.

She sighs, frowning at her body.

Ava has had difficulty keeping that memory from her mind, their sounds intermingling, her own voice foreign to her ears as his hands roved along her skin. Feeling unfamiliar fire threading up her form, different from the flames her demon cursed her with.

It was a pleasant, glowing heat.

Shaking her head, Ava treads down to her own room, deciding to rest.

Yawning, she changes into nightwear and crawls under the covers, the drone of the ship helping her drift off to sleep.

And there’s a pleasant, glowing heat.

Groggily, Ava stirs awake, baffled.

Sitting up in the dark, she gulps, suddenly remembering what she dreamed about.

“I shouldn’t be _dreaming_ about him too…” she utters.

Taking a slow breath, Ava flops back on the bed, gaze locked on darkness.

Her fingers scratch the mattress, almost inaudible. His groans were quiet in the dream too.

Smacking her face, Ava flips on her side, attempting to sleep.

Pouting, she clasps her hands together, wondering, thinking, yearning; the images were a haze of what she felt, remnants of the memory teasing her even in slumber, his body warm, lips on the nape of her neck, grinding his hips over hers.

Nervously, a hand loosens from its grip.

Lifting up her clothes, tentatively, Ava’s fingers brush over hairs, pushing past folds, slick. She gasps in surprise, moving her hand away. Ava swallows, unsure of what to do. Silently, her thoughts spin, wanting to feel good fevers overtake her thoughts, leaving her dizzy and short of breath.

Digits fiddling with the edge of her clothes, Ava lets out a quiet inhale. Her hands rake down, clumsy, but they’re comfortably temperate. Forefinger inching down, it brushes over where Odin had touched her. She tenses. It wasn’t so terrible when he did it—it wasn’t terrible at all.

Gradually, she focuses on recollecting that past moment than the current one, feeling her body relax. Odin’s fingers had pressed down firmly. She mimics that part, a shudder thundering up her spine. Boldly, she replays the action, imagining it’s his hand and not hers, rubbing the clit in minute circular motions. A moan leaves her, primal in her skull. She spreads skin and flesh apart, fondling the clit on both sides. Her free hand grips the sheets, head tipping back, body becoming hot.

Odin’s sighs echo hers, fingers trailing down her back as he delved further in, stroking with ease, mouth skimming up her throat and kissing her deeply.

Ava huffs, toes curling, the blaze coiling in her midsection, unhurried.

She opens her eyes, staring up into black.

It’s not working. Maybe because she’s inexperienced?

Pushing off the blankets, feet touch cold floors. Striding out into the corridor, Ava walks until she’s where she stood earlier.

She knocks.

Odin blearily unbolts the door, rubbing one eye. He blinks hard several times,  scrunching up his face, seeing Ava radiating faintly, “H-Hey, what are you doing up?”

“I don’t think I’m doing it right.”

“Huh?” Odin asks dumbly.

“May I come in?”

“Uh… s-sure?”

Ava immediately goes in, offering dim light. Odin decides to forgo conserving energy—he’s too confused _not_ to flick on a switch, though, thankfully, it’s on a lower setting. Once flooded in more appropriate illumination, Odin is awake.

And he realizes what she’s talking about: there’s a faint flush to her skin, not caused by the alien that inhabits her body, and her hair is slightly disheveled.

Still, it’s Ava, so he’s polite, “W-What’s the m-matter?”

“I… tried.”

"T-Tried to...?"

"Well... I tried to..." she says, voice hushed, "Y'know."

Odin rests against the wall, staring at her, “...M-Masturbate?”

Ava’s cheeks tinge further, “Um, yeah and… it didn’t go right.”

“So you de-decided to come to me?”

“There’s no one else to talk about this with.”

“T-True, I guess,” he says, though he can't precisely see her point when Maggie is around to talk to. Unless she's more comfortable with him about it.

Her hands wring together, looking away, “Could you help me?”

Odin’s heart jumps, suddenly nervous, “W-W-Well… uh, I…”

“You said we could do it again sometime,” she reminds him.

Dammit.

She gets to her feet, slowly approaching him. His gaze darts to her hips. Her hands barely flit over his abdomen, pressing closer, “Please?”

Odin silently wonders where that confidence he had that day went to, gulping at the proximity. Her fingers slip up his chest, hooking behind his neck, nails mildly scratching the back of his head. Ava pushes herself up on tiptoes, digits rubbing over his chest, breath warm, “Odin…”

He stands rooted to the spot, rigid, sharply inhaling.

“C-Crap,” he mutters before meeting her mouth with his. She responds quicker, tongue sliding over his. Their lips mold over each other’s, angling their heads, trying to breathe yet stay near. He draws her toward him, lifting her up.  Their faces bump awkwardly but the urgency is stronger than trying to be smooth. Without thinking, Ava winds her legs over his torso and they pause.

She grins, “Not bad.”

“Y-You did it,” he murmurs, lips skimming down her neck, “not m-me.”

Burying her hands in his hair, Ava sighs, his hands keeping her steady, nose pushing against a strap of her clothes, kissing her shoulder. He carries her over, placing her on the bed.

“L-Like before?”

“Like before.”

His mouth covers hers, body floating carefully over. Ava’s hands glide along his back, kissing him back, gasping for air as she tugs him down. His hips fall on hers, slipping from the sudden heave. Odin’s groan lodges in his throat, Ava moaning from the contact.

Shakily, he pushes himself off, “Y-You’re bold for your se-second time.”

“And you’re nervous for your second time.”

Odin raises a brow, “I’m not nervous.”

“Hmm, I think you are.”

His eyebrows furrow together.

Pelvis grinding upon hers, Ava hisses past her teeth. Odin bends, rubbing against her. Aching, he slides down her frame, the friction hardening the member, her nails scraping up until they rest on his shoulders. Chin placed on her stomach, Odin nuzzles through the fabric. Ava giggles.

“I d-didn’t know you were ticklish.”

“It’s your beard, dummy.”

“Uh-huh,” he answers, arm moving downward, slipping over the curve of her body, up her thigh, under the nightgown. Ava shudders, eyes fluttering closed. She feels his lips trace back up until they touch her own, pliable and warm. His fingers stroke her clit, a moan emitting from her chest, clutching him.

Odin caresses sensitive skin, kneading the head, fingers wet. His thumb flattens, firmly compressing down. Ava squirms under him, huffing quietly into his shoulder, digits curling into fists, seizing his shirt. He fondles the clit, gyrating slowly, face bristling over hers. Odin shuts his eyes, awash with vibration, hearing her hum under him. He breathes in the smell of her hair, sending tingles down her scalp.

His finger slides down, wet, into burning folds.

“Ah!” Ava cries out, stunned.

Odin stops, removing himself, instantly regretful, “I’m s-sorry, I should’ve a-asked—”

Shaking her head, Ava murmurs, “No, no, wait…”

He stares at her.

“Come back... and move it?” she says, questioning both him and herself.

Licking his lips, he thrusts his finger in, drawing it out slowly. He waits for a sound, watching her face, erection throbbing under his own clothes. Suddenly she groans, long and deep, “I like that.”

Aroused, Odin increases the tempo, keeping the thumb on her clit as he prods in, experimenting. He moves up and fast, she whimpers; down and slow, she arches back, her hand raking through scarlet strands, panting beneath him. Keeping the rhythm steady, he leans down, and she inclines upward to capture his lips with hers, tethered at the tongue.

Ava grunts, chafing the clit over his digits. Odin inserts another finger with certainty. Moaning, exhales short and quick, embers rising from a place her demon never could control, Ava’s lips move over his skin. She senses that coiled flame unfurl inside her body, broadening under flesh, flowing through muscle, erupting from her mouth, in the form of his name.

Odin pulls out his hand, digits damp. He slowly sits up, feeling the member throb.

Ava peers up at him in a haze, panting. She lays there, trying to catch her breath and thoughts. Odin absentmindedly brushes her forehead, tenderly combing through her hair. Her hand rests on his, and he blushes, remembering they’re not actually together.

What are they then?

He clears his throat, “H-How do you f-feel now? Was i-it like before?”

Her grin is sleepy, but satisfied, “That was even better!”

Odin chuckles, “Glad to a-assist you.”

“Hmm…” she says, turning to him. She puts a warm palm on his thigh, eyeing the bulge under his pants.

He angles away from her, standing, “W-We should get you to bed.”

Ava props herself up, “What if I don’t want to go to my bed?”

He acknowledges her challenge and declines, “T-Too bad.”

Pouting, she crosses her arms, “I’m too tired.”

“Which i-is why you need to go to your r-room,” he tells her,“b-believe me, you’re gonna f-fall asleep really quick and I k-know how you are in the mo-morning—you w-won’t be able to get back and p-pretend you were there all ni-night.”

Ava sighs, seeing the logic, “Okay, I see your point.”

He outstretches his hand, “Come o-on.”

Blushing, she threads her fingers over his. He helps her up, her knees slightly weak.

He holds her hand as he opens the door, down the passageway, until they’re at her room. It slides open, and they release the grip.

“Thanks Odin,” she tells him.

“Y-Yeah…”

Ava leans up to peck his cheek. He angles his head, meeting the kiss with his lips. Ava laughs, shaking her head and entering her room, waving as it closes between them. They rest on their sides of the entrance. Ava feels her heart thump longingly; Odin notes the empty feeling he experienced when he let go of her hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The turns have tabled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies about the delay. Bad week.

Walking down one of the halls of the ship, Ava grins to herself, feeling bright and alert. She has been managing to go to sleep soon after her escapades with Odin, slipping into her mindscape without trouble; ignoring Wrathia, she was able to settle comfortably in a corner, alone, until the morning arrived.

There were things about Odin that she definitely enjoyed. This is a good step in the right direction. Whatever direction that might be.

That was the only problem in the near future she could contemplate on. Ava is focused on the outcomes her present actions might cause—everything about her course in life revolves around the decisions she makes now; her past is broken and dark, her child-self unobtainable. The present is full of pitfalls, with many people standing in the way of her goal: a new life, a better beginning.

The future is all she wants.

Thus, despite the comfort and pleasure Odin brings, she has to wonder what it means to have him this close in her life.

Her smile begins to falter, stepping into the control room. Ava halts in her tracks, finding Olai in the pilot’s seat. Not wanting to disturb him, Ava turns around, deciding to spend time in the lounge—

“Hold it.”

Freezing in place, Ava looks at him over her shoulder, “Yes?”

Keeping his observations locked on the vastness of space, he motions for her to approach. Ava does so until she stands beside him, waiting for him to talk.

Olai’s fingers tapping on the control panel, clicks and beeps tapping in her ears. She glances at him, trying not to huff; Ava is not in the mood to be aggravated.

Crossing her arms, Ava asks, “You wanted something?”

He doesn’t turn to look at her, “You and Odin have been growing rather close.”

Hands clutching her forearms, Ava doesn’t bother to deny or confirm, “I suppose. We are all heading towards the same thing after all.”

“We are not,” Olai says, leaning over buttons, face neutral, “‘heading towards the same thing.’ We all have different destinations and hopes. Yours is, likely, a very personal one, right?”

Narrowing her eyes, Ava replies, “Of course.”

“Odin’s desire is very personal too, though you know exactly what his is.”

“I know… Magpie is very important to him,” whispers Ava, thinking of the young girl Odin dotes on.

“Then you are aware of the fact that, no matter what you and Odin have, he can’t afford to be distracted.”

“I don’t—”

Olai suddenly looms over her, expression harsh as frost. His voice is colder, “Listen to me, carefully: I am not going to stop whatever romps you two get into—don’t bother lying to me, I’m not an idiot—but I am warning you. Do not distract my brother from doing what he has to.”

Ava seethes, bright eyes burning, “Don’t you _dare_ threaten me.”

“Don’t give me a reason to,” he snaps.

“If you don’t care enough to actually stop us, you have no real control over our actions. You’ve spoken to Odin, haven’t you? I know him. He values your opinion. And it doesn’t sound as though he’s entirely convinced by your so-called ‘warning’ if you’re trying to intimidate me instead. And tactics like this, by the way, don’t work on me. All they do is piss me off, asshole.”

“You've never had a family before." Olai says easily, turning away from her, hands clasped behind his back. "When you have one, you do anything to ensure their safety. Odin guards Magpie with his life; do you want to get in the way of that? What makes you so special?”

She wasn’t sure of the answer to that question.

When one removed sex from the equation, was there anything of substance actually lurking under the surface?

She didn’t want to think about this.

Ava turns away from him, arms crossed over her chest, “However Odin feels about me is his business, and my feelings are mine. Since you are unable to get through to Odin, I am still failing to see how you intended for this conversation to go. I am not going to stop doing whatever I want, all for you.”

“You are a very selfish person.”

Gritting her teeth, she shrugs, feigning indifference, “And you are less trusting of Odin than you should be. He has a leveled head. He won’t do anything foolish, it’s not his nature.”

Olai raises a brow, skeptical. Truth is, each of the Arrows are rational people, unable to handle the scruples of disobliging, incompetent morons without growing irritated, but the degrees of emotionalism that he and his siblings possess vary. Odin is on the furthest end of the spectrum, an empath, wishing to help people if possible, susceptible to feelings more than the rest of them. Their mother loved that quality about him. Nonetheless, that’s the past. The present cannot be afforded a luxury like affection or compassion. It’s Odin’s downfall—has been since they were children.

It makes him weak.

“You’re not the least bit worried that this might backfire?”

“Why would it?”

Absorbing the information, Olai moves back to sit, “For someone who claims to know my brother, you don’t have a grasp on his emotions at all."

“And you do?”

“You’re the one underestimating him.”

Glaring at him fiercely, baffled, Ava leaves the vicinity. Unable to head anywhere else on the ship, without being confronted by someone, she opts for her quarters. The door opens and shuts with a slight whoosh.

Laying on the bed, Ava’s fingers twiddle together, taking measured breaths, trying not to think.

There must be a choice at some point.

Turning on her side, she closes her eyes, not wanting to sleep, but not wanting to be awake. She is painfully aware, by the minute, Odin is not here next to her.

She hates the way her mind is indecisive.

()

Analyzing the interior of the ship, Odin twists a few wires together, attempting to keep his mind busy from anything involving the conversation he had with Olai today.

He and his brother didn’t often see eye-to-eye on matters. They shared similarities when it came to the basics: protecting their sisters, living up to the individual expectations of their parents, fixing themselves to be stronger. That is where it ended. Everything else wound up being a stark contrast to, otherwise, eerie likenesses.

Olai had kept the message simple: keep on track, don’t be stupid, and remain aloof.

Odin had nodded quietly, though it wasn’t enough.

“You listening to me?”

“I h-heard you.”

“But you’re not _listening._ ”

“D-Don’t patronize me, dammit,” Odin snapped, tipped over the threshold of anger that he’s always struggled not to cross.

Olai’s scowl intensified, each stride deliberate, backing him into a corner, “ _What_ did you say to me?”

Odin’s eyes glanced down at his feet, wishing the stutter was absent from his tone, but he’s stuck with it, “I… I s-said not to pa-patron-n-nize me. I’m a-an adult, and even if my m-mistakes are stup-p-pid, o-or c-c-can be avoid-d-ded, I sh-should be allowed to ma-make them.”

Raising a fist, Olai slammed it against the wall, aware of the flinch in Odin’s shoulders; he’d suppressed it well enough, at least. Respectable. 

Olai sighed, “Just think about things before you get caught up in something you can’t get out of.”

Odin has done nothing except think—the past several hours, the last several years. He can’t remember a time he had done something for himself; it’s been a long while.

There is finally something—someone—that he knows is risky to take, yet he keeps returning.

He’s taken into account the potential problems, pondering what could possibly change in their relationship. Friendship… whatever it was at this point…

One of the issues was his devotion to Magpie’s well-being. Nothing is of higher priority than his sister surviving. She is his world: frail and weak, but his.

Another qualm is that he doesn’t have an idea what Ava wants. She has her own agenda to follow, which he honors. It wouldn’t be profitable to stand in the middle of whatever her dreams might be; unless it clashes with his own, and it likely might.

If it _does_ go against his, what would he do then? He’s already… admiring her as a person. It was hard not to. He’s liked her practically from the start. She’s comfortable to be around, and he appreciates that she talks to him as a normal person. He’s very respectful of her boundaries, too. Limitations that she’s decided to lower  _specially for him_.

Ava has allowed him to know the real her, physically and emotionally. That is difficult for many people to do, and he has done it himself in her presence. It was an unexpected venture, letting her know about his parents, bits of his childhood strewn for her to understand his character a little more.

The other problem is the risk of being hurt if it doesn’t work out. Odin isn’t sure if he can handle another breakup with someone he thought cared about him. He’s gone so much further with her in their short time together than he had with his last relationship.

If he granted himself the grace of being honest with himself, he _really_ liked being with Ava. She’s a great conversationalist—he’s laughed countless times because of her; she’s smart, witty and sweet, aspects he didn’t expect from a person who was raised on the fundamentals of TITAN’s many reformation planets. He’s always regarded Ava as pretty.

‘Beautiful’, lately, isn’t strong enough either.

The turrets of the ship vibrate, causing it to quake. He double checks his handiwork, closing the board he’d taken off when he deems it satisfactory.

Getting to his feet, he heads to the bridge, his family gathered there, excluding Magpie, who is likely resting.

“We l-landing?” Odin asks.

“Just for a little while,” says Olai, easing down the vessel. “So make sure that you have a list of things we’ll need to acquire at the port.”

Odin begins to mentally sort out what they might get, which he will write down later.

“What’s the deal, I was sleeping,” complains Maggie, trudging towards them, others in tow.

Olai ignores her, “While we’re there, I will be checking in on some other matters. The trip is an approximated time of three hours. No more or less. That should be enough to get our duties complete.”

Maggie groans aloud, exasperated, “You telling us what to do is really getting on my nerves.”

“We could dump you on a planet if you want,” Raven threatens, hand placed on the weapons at her belt, Crow’s stance mirroring hers.

“Do you want to test me—?”

Ava holds out a hand, “Come on, Maggie, quit it. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

Folding her arms, she scoffs, “Fine, whatever.”

Odin and Ava glimpse each other, hers vaguely apologetic for her friend’s abrasiveness, his openly thankful for her defense.

()

They all head in separate directions. Olai stalks off, wordless, none of them questioning how he left before they could notice.

Raven and Crow have paired together to gather their own items, potentially weapons, from nearby vendors. Maggie follows after Gil, pursued by her own admirer. She’s been warming up to his ballads.

Odin and Ava stand quietly. She glances up at him, fingers scratching at the side of her thigh. Odin suddenly steps onto the ramp of the ship, treading down. Blinking, Ava immediately goes after him, stepping in rhythm to his long gaits.

Shoving a hand into his pocket, he pulls out the amount of currency Olai deemed sufficient to buy their merchandise. Counting it a few times, he places it back, muttering to himself the mental checklist he created in his head. It’s been written down, but that’s in case he actually forgets something. Keeping his eyes forward, Odin briefly feels the urge to hold Ava’s hand before quelling it. There’s a time and place for that.

If there is one thing Odin hates it’s a complication he can’t easily resolve. Worse yet, he did this to himself, to the both of them. Frustrated with himself, he narrows his eyes further, unconcerned for causing several folks to step back, giving him a slightly wider radius among the merchants.

Ava keeps her hands to herself, strangely wanting to touch him, see if he’s alright, what Olai possibly said to him. It’s no secret that Olai can be as abusive as their demons. Odin has managed to garner some self-esteem the past few years, but when it comes to his brother, there’s still that dread that comes with the courage of defending himself.

There are moments she remembers how much she hates what his family has put him through. Even prior to their mutual erotic explorations, Ava had never been comfortable with how his brother and sisters behaved toward him. She had been separated from her parents early in life. When she imagined the concept of family, Odin’s wasn’t entirely what she had in mind.

His sisters can be a handful, for their own separate reasons, but he _adores_ them, and they’re still young. They have things to learn. Olai, on the other hand, she gave reluctant conviction; Odin believes Olai is the best one to lead them, and she trusted Odin’s judgment on the matter more than anything. But Ava has had her fair share with manipulative, dangerous people. She is not blinded by familial bonds the way Odin sometimes lets himself be. 

Odin offers forgiveness, Ava carries grudges.

She stops in her tracks when he does, turning to the vendor. She listens to his familiar stutter, its divergence from his mien more apparent than normal, given the dark stare that Odin is wearing, comfortably set on his features. Ava mutely watches the exchange of money and goods, holding out her arms to help carry anything. Odin’s mask slips a little when he considers her, placing items with caution into them. If she didn’t know any better, it was more for her sake than what they bought. He’s aware that she’s stronger than he is—powerful, dangerous, immortal.

_What made her so special?_

The couple continue on their path, having bought enough for the group, in the direction of the ship, relieved by the lack of crowds. Ava shifts her baggage in her hands, staring where there was something of interest.

Odin directs his attention at her, “You a-alright still?”

“Yeah, I don’t have a problem,” Ava answers.

Nodding, having checked in, Odin turns his attention back to the front.

“Is there anything we needed, like, specifically?”

“Like w-what?”

“Does Magpie want a treat or anything? It’s not often that we can do things for ourselves.”

Odin shakes his head, appearing glum, “We d-don’t have a lot to spare.”

Ava pouts a little, “Oh, I see.”

Peering down at her, Odin asks, “If y-you could have anything, what would you g-get?”

Tilting her head in thought, Ava smiles giddily, “I’d love a tub of ice cream—just a big tub all to myself.”

Smirking, Odin looks at her, “What k-kind?”

“Ooh, vanilla would be delicious.” Ava sighs blissfully.

“Anything o-on top of it?”

“Nah, I like plain old vanilla.”

“Don’t need a l-lot of toppings if the ice cream is good.”

“Exactly! If _you_ could have anything, what would you get?”

“Food w-wise or?”

“It can be anything, h—” she cuts herself off, stopping the ‘hon’ that nearly left her mouth.

Odin doesn’t seem to have noticed, mulling over her question, “Well, to re-remain on topic, I’d like a bagel.”

Ava nudges him affectionately, “Just a bagel?”

“I'd p-put spread on it of course. I'm not a s-savage.” he states, gently pushing back.

“Does it matter what type?”

“W-Well, yeah, if you’re going f-for certain things on it. You wouldn’t put j-jam on a bagel if you’re e-eating it with salmon on it t-too.”

Ava giggles, “What if someone _likes_ eating salmon with jam on a bagel?”

Odin wrinkles his nose, “Ew, Firefly, w-why?”

Shrugging, she smiles at him, “You never know, people might like weird arrangements with food. It all winds up in the stomach anyway.”

"Betcha Mr. Rockstar w-would eat it."

"Oh my god, he would..."

"We should d-dare him."

"And watch him _enjoy_ it? That's sicker than the food itself."

Odin lets out a mirthful laugh, genuine and deep. Ava's grin grows, pleased to have caused it.

Tilting his head in her direction, Odin says, “I suppose t-though it’s not the worst possible combination, flavor-wise. I've had to e-eat worse. I just f-feel like salmon shouldn’t be ruined.”

“Figures you would be opposed to salmon being destroyed.”

“Salmon is g-good.”

Shifting closer, Ava peers up at him, “What else would you buy if you could?”

“New b-boots wouldn’t be so bad," he replies, glancing at his shoes.

“I’d like a dress. What I’m wearing is good, but I’d like something better.”

“Nice a-and red.”

“Yes, a red dress would be ideal. And it flows when I spin,” Ava informs him, “I like the swishing it does.”

Noting that the ship is coming into view, Odin readies to open it, “Maybe o-on a better trip, we can get you something.”

Ava turns to him, “I don’t have my hopes up. It’s not something I need.”

“What d-do you need?”

She stops in her tracks. Odin continues a few more feet before he realizes she’s ceased.

Ava’s eyes meet his, slowly drawing it down his form, lids slightly lowered as her sight settles on his crotch. She gives him a quick, questioning look, closing the distance between them. Despite the objects in her grip, she rubs her body against his, standing on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek, breath warm on the shell of his ear.

Odin gasps lightly into hers, leaning down to place his mouth, unmoving yet open, over the nape of her neck, breathing in the scent that creates his own personal insomnia.

Slipping further up onto his form, Ava delicately nips his jawline, whispering, “I think we both know.”

“Ava…” murmurs Odin, trying to focus on the logic he’s been clinging to.

She withdraws, sidestepping around him, “If we place our stuff down, I can show you what else I’d like to have. I don't _need_ clothes...”

The moment’s reprieve allows his thoughts to clear, albeit barely. Odin doesn’t do anything except stare at her as they enter the ship, setting down their purchases, his body aching to pull her back.

Ava turns around to take his hand, leading him down the hallway to one of the nearby cabins. Odin allows himself to be dragged, pushed onto one of the couches and climbed on. He watches her, enthralled, as she nestles further onto his lap, grinding against him.

Hissing, Odin’s hips move up in response. He wonders how long it took them to get back. About an hour and a half. There is plenty of time before the others get back; to forget complications.

Gliding his hands up her sides, listening to the gentle intake of breath, Odin draws air from her lungs, headier than smoke, mouth warm and inviting as she slips her tongue a little past his teeth. Ava gingerly places her hands on either side of his face, thumbs caressing his cheekbones, causing him to shudder from the contact.

Nibbling his lower lip, Ava kisses him deeply again, sliding her palms down his face and neck, lightly prickled by his beard; fingers compress on the ridge of his clavicle, heading further onto the broad stretch of his shoulders. She darts eager digits down his chest, feeling tension in muscle, traipsing the narrow end of his torso. She slowly unbuttons his pants, body growing warmer as she digs into the down of hair covering skin.

Odin swallows, nuzzling his face into the crook of her shoulder, mumbling her name against a rapid pulse. There is a lot he’d like to say, many of them stressing the fact that something needs to be decided soon about what they mean, together. It’s a distant, foreign thought when she slips her hand past the waistband of his boxers, her touch frighteningly real, unimaginary.

Her palm is comfortably lukewarm, skin smooth, nails hard, as she pushes the fabric down. Ava spreads her legs further apart, shifting away as she pulls out his erection. She stares at it with a wide, curious expression, fingers mildly touching the head. Inexpertly, Ava traces downward, barely skimming from the tip to the middle—

A violent shudder travels down his spine, unexpected and jarring.

Ava’s hand jerks back, “I’m sorry, did that bother you—?”

“N-No! No no no no,” Odin explains, blushing. “T-That didn’t bot-t-ther me a-at all.”

Secured by the earnest objection, Ava moves nearer, fingers tentatively resting on the shaft, “Then…?”

“T-Then… feel f-free, I mean…”

Sitting further up, Ava plants a hand by his shoulder, leaning her weight onto the couch, rising over him. The other grips around the erection, slipping down the length, sensitive to her own arousal forming with each throbbing sensation she feels. But he’s never let her touch _him_ before.

Clenching his hands, Odin leans backward, neck resting on top of the furniture, breath hitched in his throat. Faintly, he registers that this is a considerably open area, anyone could walk in and they’d need to actually confront whatever it is that they need to but, really, who cares when her hand is _unbelievably better than anything he could do._

Moaning, Odin’s hands flit up her thighs, swiveling down to suddenly grip hard on supple flesh, squeezing her butt. Ava squeaks in surprise, her hand roughly sliding over his cock.

Odin groans loudly, feeling the blood rush below; tugging her closer, he presses his face into her neck. He travels lower, lips barely brushing the drawer attached to her body.

“You alright?” she asks, fingers warily circling the head, self-conscious.

He looks at her, giving her an uncharacteristic eyebrow wiggle.

Tension flees her mood with a laugh, resting her forehead on his. His heart skips one single, momentous beat, staring at her lips, pulled back with a true smile. His hand trails up the small of her back, fingers burying themselves into her hair.

Hips lifting from their perch, Odin gasps as he moves with her, feeling her palm glide over the head, aware of pre-cum coating her fingers.

Ava stares at the lubricant sticking to them, fascinated by the viscous appearance and texture, not much different from what, she assumes, is similar to when she’s wet. Musing, she rubs the cock with a slightly faster rhythm, glancing at Odin. She finds his eyes completely closed, sighs mingled with the softest moans she’s ever heard.

Ava watches his expression break, stoicism left behind, thrilled by her every motion. She didn’t believe she could make anyone sound or look like this; even this moment has a tint of surrealism covering it. He’s warm and pliant, her free hand moving under his shirt, appreciating the trail of hair. Gasps leave him in quick rushes, her hand rubbing him hard and fast, slipping easier with each minute. Her fingers give the lightest pressure, his lower body bucks; the longest, smoothest strokes, his back arches.

She suddenly feels Odin’s hand move over the top of her leg, forefinger massaging the clit through her underwear.

“Odin, I—”

“I k-know, but I want y-you to get something too.”

Not wishing to protest, Ava grinds her hips against his hand. Digits slip upward, pushing aside fabric to rub either side of the clit. His thumb circles small, tempered strokes, at first. When she increases the pace of her hand on the shaft, kneading the ends of her fingers into hot skin, he mimics it.

Moaning, Ava’s spine curves as she rocks her hips, nails scratching the back of his neck, sweat trickling the side of her head. She bridges the space between them, strands tickling his face; she tugs his head back, grasping black hair in her fist, mouth pressed on his, biting swollen lips, tongue rolling over his.

Odin groans as she rubs her palm frantically up and down on the member, his fingers trembling from the heat rising in his gut, unable to focus on anything other than Ava, falling into a comfortable state of nothing. Sweltering, every bit of his frame at its peak, he caresses the clit, blood burning. He pushes two fingers past slick folds, musk perfuming the air.

Ava’s form jerks, sinks, melts, swallowing after several huffs, flushed. Leaning forward, her lips float over his, warm and light as fire. Her heart pounds, escalating each second, growing aware of her body when she feels it drawing closer to that burst of fervent energy.

Odin clings tightly to her, teeth piercing raw, red skin, unable to bear much longer.

He’s died before. Water rushing into flaming lungs, sleet obscuring vision, encased in a cloudy coffin; death imprinted onto his soul, unforgettable.

This is worse.

He welcomes it, openly.

Ava whispers his name, quiet as the shakes of her body.

Hers is screamed.

Ava pulls back, shocked by the intensity of his orgasm, come spilling down her hand. She stares at him with an equally half-blank look, breathing irregular, lost in heat and ecstasy.

Bodies limp, relaxed, they mold together on the couch. Ava rests her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow. Odin strings his fingers through her scalp, lazily kissing the top of it several times.

Snuggling, Ava smiles in content. She angles her head to look at him, lifting her hand to display it, smug.

Odin’s hand wraps itself over hers. Gently, the corners of his mouth lift, gaze tender as he brushes her hair. He is vulnerable and exposed, unforgettable.

Completely at her mercy.

It dawns on her with startling clarity what Olai meant.

Ava underestimated Odin, and his ability to hurt himself for people special to him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit kept happening in life, but it’s finally moving forward, with an unexpected turn from the characters but I'm cool with it. And a Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!

Ava thinks of him whenever she shuts her eyes. The breath on her neck, the feel of his fingers against her skin, his mouth skimming her chest and not recoiling from the unsightly drawer protruding from it.

She looks at him, standing with solid arms akimbo, discussing possible locations to land on with his brother. Leaning against a wall, she traces his body with her eyes: the width of his shoulders. The slope of his spine. The curve of his biceps. All capable of supporting her as she shifts on top of him. Ava tilts her head, keeping her gaze on his form.

Odin senses her stare, turning slightly in her direction.

Ava blushes, waving at him.

A rare smile graces his mouth, warm and soft. Her heart clenches, grinning back.

Olai smacks Odin upside the head, pointing vexedly at the map.

Ava scowls.

()

She finds him later in his resting quarters, looking haggard and morose.

Ava steps up to him, reaching out to gently caress his back.

He tenses before he sees her face, “Oh, i-it’s just you, Firefly.”

Brushing his hair, she asks, “You okay? You look worse.”

“Long d-day.”

Sitting next to him on the bed, she angles her body to face his directly. Lifting a hand to rest it against his cheek, she wonders if it’s all right to keep doing this. When he places his own—tough and strong, as capable of murder as she is—over hers, scraping the knuckles with his thumb, she thinks about how wrong this may actually be.

The amount of comfort she finds with him is unlike anything she’s known. He’s crass and blunt, but she can’t remember being with anybody kinder. Maggie had been there for her, but he’s surpassed what she used to covet in friendship. Companionship was well and good these last several years.

There’s something developing between the two of them.

Raw, and passionate, and whole.

She wants love that burns her inside out, tired of rage.

There’s a life out there that’s hers, and hers alone.

Odin deserves to be happy and it may be with her.

Ava deserves to be happy and it may not be with him.

She remembers with frightening clarity the sound of her own name in her ears, his voice heavy. The sight of pure, unadulterated wonder in his eyes as she melted over him, his hands tenderly bringing her closer. The way he kissed the top of her head, chaste and without deceit…

Ava meets Odin’s stare, finding his to trail down to her mouth. Hers do the same, stroking the back of her hand over full lips. He kisses each knuckle lightly as it moves across his mouth, violet eyes dark, unwavering as they stare into hers. Inching bit by bit, she tilts her head back, chin grazing wiry facial hair. Their mouths hover next to the other’s, lips parted, shivering despite the lack of contact.

His hand slides into her hair, dragging it out, watching the tendrils fall back into place.

“Ava…”

“Yes?”

“I…”

Suddenly she’s scared of what he may not or may say.

She shoves her mouth atop his, tongue sliding through his teeth. He grunts in surprise but quickly pays no mind, falling into soft curves and burning skin.

She doesn’t want to think. She’s so tired of rage and thinking, of rage and its all-encompassing loneliness, of rage and its grip on her life.

She just wants to have something for herself.

Her hand slips into his pants, past the waistband of his boxers.

He lets out a long rush of air, arching beneath her.

Odin tugs her down, gnawing gently at her lower lip. She lets out a soft moan, sliding her palm over the member. Shoving down his pants and boxers, she soon begins to fondle him. Ava’s gaze remains on his face, memorizing each line of it, every moment his teeth bite his lip in agony over her touch, when his brows furrow in pleasure.

Lightly, she skims the rows of her fingers up and down the sides of the cock, precum dribbling down the length. Coating it with her hand, she leans over his body and kisses the side of his neck. Odin groans beneath her, draping an arm over her waist.

Ava bends down, trailing her mouth down to his clavicle, her free hand sliding up his shirt.

“Take it off.”

Not questioning her, he removes it, wanting to kiss her again. She draws back, shaking her head. His confused stare becomes a bewildered one when Ava shifts lower, lips tracing pelvic bones. Her mouth grazes the head of the cock and her tongue, tentatively, licks it.

Odin falls back onto the mattress, body tight, clamping a hand over his mouth.

Ava glances at him, not wanting to wonder and only do. She keeps her face near the head, the scent of semen and sweat in her nostrils. The musk is overwhelming. She kisses the tip, hand rubbing the member with slow, smooth strokes.

“A… Ava…”

“Relax, okay?”

He gasps when she suddenly increases the pressure and tempo. Her flesh burns against his, hips lifting in response. Ava wants to take things without fear, without the presence of wrath’s confidence. She wants this to be a moment she creates, alone.

The friction is unbearable. Odin gulps down saliva, throat hoarse. His fists tighten on the sheets, not daring to speak, lost in this human connection. He feels her tongue snake down the length, return to the top and swirl around the head with painful slowness. Groaning, he cranes his neck to stare at her, her expression serious and sensual.

Yet she feels further from him than before.

He yearns to pull her back.

“A-Ava…”

“Hm?” she murmurs against the cock, tongue slipping over.

“I…”

Ava places her mouth entirely over the head, surprising the both of them.

His mind blanks, thrown back into heat. Ava holds her mouth over it for a few moments, taking in breaths before removing herself from it. She keeps her hands busy, speed building up and she watches his frame turn taut.

Odin feels shudders twist down his back and settle into his abdomen, tingles spreading through the nerves of his body.

“Ava, I’m… G-Gonna— Damn!” he hisses, reeling, shutting his eyes.

Yanking back, she manages to avoid most of the come that shoots out. Ava observes the rise and fall of his chest, delicately pulling at the hair with her fingers, splaying the digits and smoothing over the soft down. She keeps her eyes on his face, crawling over to him and kissing his lips.

Odin tiredly peers up at her, raising his hand to graze her cheek, wiping a bit of semen away.

“H-Hey…”

“Hey.”

“W-What… what was that f-for?”

Ava shrugs, smiling, “I wanted to.”

Odin props himself on his elbows, “Do y-you want—?”

“No, I just wanted to touch _you_.”

“But—”

“Let me have this, Odin.”

He quiets down, beside himself. Even so, he kisses her deeply, swallowing the moan that leaves her chest.

Extricating herself, Ava whispers, “I’ll see you later. I thought you deserved to relax a bit is all.” Stepping onto the floor, she combs her hair with her hands, heading for the door, “Make sure to get some sleep.”

Odin sits up, alert, “Wait.”

She stops directly before it, peering at him over her shoulder, “Yes?”

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“I know y-you. Something happened.”

“Nothing happened,” she says, turning to leave.

“You c-can talk to me.”

Ava sighs silently.

“Can’t you?”

“Maybe later. Good night, Odin.”

Without another word to him she exits his room, Odin feeling oddly hollow despite a fantasy come to life.

()

The next morning passes with ease, everyone on board feeling comfortable with the direction they’re heading. Ava stands alone in the middle of the brig, ignoring the conversation occurring in the vicinity. She stares out the window, stars passing slowly.

She lifts her head when Olai enters the room, barking orders, as usual.

“We need to prepare to land on a barely habitable planet. The natives are not friendly but we need the resources and we’ll trade with them for food and fuel. We’ll be there in two days, which is just about when we’ll run out of supplies.”

Ava turns away again, paying no mind.

“Because the inhabitants live on this planet, despite being accustomed to the gravity and atmosphere, they still seek out ways to escape it. Half of us will leave the ship as extra muscle, in case of interrogation or capture. The other half will remain with the ship to fight off anyone  who would want to steal the ship.”

“Why not avoid the planet altogether?” inquires Gil, disliking the idea.

“Unless you have another place to suggest, this is our best bet to not be stranded in the middle of space,” Olai replies, tone clipped. “I’m thinking that pacted individuals will remain with the ship, since it is the most valuable asset we possess. Everyone else with the ability to either fight or negotiate will dismount the ship with me and head into the city.”

Ava pushes from the wall, walking over, “What makes you think that’s the best plan?”

“Because decimating another planet wouldn’t bode well for us, would it?” he says, pointedly glaring at her.

“I’m assuming I stay on the ship, then?” she asks, not fazed by his accusation.

“You could even be on the ship by yourself, considering your power. Or, as said, there will be a split: my sisters, except Magpie, will come with me. Two pacted hosts as well, and then three stay, or the inverse—where two stay and three go.”

Ava finds herself flanked by Maggie on her left and Odin on her right.

“I can go,” Maggie tells him. “I can be very persuasive.”

“I’ll s-stay with Ava and Magpie,” Odin adds.

Olai scrutinizes the two of them, finally resting his eyes on Ava. She doesn’t meet his gaze.

“Should we find a better way, we will go with this. Crow, Raven, I need you two to inspect how our weapons are doing. The rest of you, go about your business.”

Winking at Ava, Maggie leaves her friend to go with the other hosts. Odin stays beside her, trying to get her attention. Ava heads out of the area, Odin trailing after her.

“Ava, w-wait up a minute,” he says.

“I gotta go do something.”

He picks up the length of his strides, finally halting in front of her, “You’re a-acting weird. What’s going o-on?”

“I told you—”

“Ava, _please_ don’t l-lie to me…”

The tone of his voice gives her pause. She scratches the scars on her arm.

“Last night, I wanted to t-talk to you about that. I…” he starts, flushing hard. “That w-was something else.”

She can’t help the smile that pulls her lips, “Really?”

“Yeah! I w-wasn’t expecting th-that for s-sure but it was really… it was g-great.”

Blushes tint her cheeks, “Glad that was good for you.”

“And I was still thinking a-about, y’know, returning the f-favor?”

“Oh.”

“Do you want to c-come by later tonight? Awesome a-as it was, I don’t like thinking of you g-getting nothing.”

Ava tilts her head up, “Why are you like this with me?”

“L-Like what?”

“Why do you care about what I get?”

His eyes soften, bothered by the question. He responds, “Because… it’s w-wrong otherwise, right?”

Glancing around, Ava steps past him, “Let’s talk about this in my room.”

Odin nods once, walking alongside her until they’re in her room together, alone.

Heaving a sigh, Ava rotates in place, leaning against the wall, hands clasped behind her, gaze directed downward.

He takes in her appearance, moving closer, “What m-makes you think I don’t care about you?”

“It’s not that. I know that you care. I don’t understand _why_.”

“We’re f-friends.”

She raises her head fast, brows knit together, voice laden with uncertainty, and another emotion that burrowed into her ribs, “Are we?”

Odin studies her, “Y-Yes.”

“We’re not more than that, are we?”

“No.”

Ava angles her form, regarding the wall, feeling sick somehow.

“But I’d l-like to be.”

She whips her head, feeling her neck muscles seethe in pain, but she can only gape at him. Her breathing quickens, keeping her voice even, “What…?”

“That’s what I wanted t-to talk about last night.”

The world spins, head floating, the man in front of her sounding far away, “You and me…?”

“I w-want to be more than friends.”

Panic seizes her thoughts, “You can’t mean that. This is all for fun!”

Odin narrows the minimal space between them, stroking her face with such tenderness, he notices she stops breathing. With care, he cups her cheeks in his hands, bending to bring their faces closer. “It stopped b-being just fun a long time ago.”

Ava swallows nervously, finding her esophagus constricted to the width of a spider’s web.

“I… I love y-you.”

She feels her entire mind flare to life, thinking of all the times she has wondered when, if , where, how, and with _who_ she might find love. Find true, complete, unconditional love. It’s sincere and fast and abruptly all these long years of unacknowledgement are crashing into her—how she blinded herself on purpose to everyone around her, all because she didn’t want to give herself hope, or that no one around her could possibly love her after seeing the ugly facets of her character.

He isn’t remotely what she imagined in the deepest moieties of her childish wishes. He isn’t anything that she conjured for herself.

Odin Arrow is more than that.

She can find love with Odin, here and now, not a part of fantasies or daydreams or _pacts_.

He is realer than any deal with a demon.

“Can… w-we give this a chance?”

Ava has never seen him more handsome than now, eyes vibrant and hopeful. She takes his hands into hers, gripping them tight.

“We can’t.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything happens so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d update a lot more frequently if life took a Xanax cocktail. Oh well. Here’s chapter six, but we got a ways to go, y’all. Also, even with the recent updates confirming what I thought about Odin (I was RIGHT that friggin' boy’s a p r i n c e), I’m gonna continue keeping it vague since it’s the way the story has been, as it was meant for the audience to keep believing whatever they wanted for his past.
> 
> But yep chapter six is up for reading. Happy fucking holidays, babes.

Odin is not the grandest romantic in the world.

He is a man who finds himself in a constant state of despair. But, when he allowed himself, he would imagine a life with love. The kind of love he saw in his parents every single day until they died, together.

He never thought he’d find it. Haunted by a monster since childhood, he feared any happy future lost.

Ava had become his best friend—dearer to him than anyone he ever met. And before he knew it himself, had loved her above all else.

The sex was amazing and exciting, so much more than his fantasies ever created. Finding that she was more than open to it, it had been nerve-wracking. Wondering if she’d give him the time of day. When they began to go for it, he’d found himself content. Hopeful.

He thought it’d be the same.

“We can’t.”

He swallows, the motion tight. His mind comes to coherency, its previous blankness overrun with a torrent of thoughts. Odin barely keeps himself steady.

“...W-We can’t? W-Why n-not?”

Ava notes the steel in his voice. His attempt to not show how hurt he is.

Odin watches her closely: her gaze at his chest, her hands unspeakably warm on his own. He extricates himself from her. His arms fall at his sides.

“Odin,” she says, quiet but resolute. “My pact with Wrathia is all about my new life. You know that.”

“Yes…” he answers, careful.

“That new life is all I want. I _need_ to have it. For many reasons, as you know. Have always known. And I’m afraid this may complicate things.”

“C-Complicate things?” he asks, stunned. “How could i-it possi-b-bly complicate things—I can o-offer you more than Wrathia e-e-ever could!”

Ava looks up at him, his face earnest. She believes him. Nonetheless… “What if I can get everything I want out of that pact, Odin? I had nothing growing up— _nothing_.”

“I can g-give you anything you want,” Odin claims, trying not to hold her. He can’t understand what she means by this, the pact can only give so much.

He _had_ always known what it would mean, these pacts. She made it evident all that time ago, when they were discovering what these aliens controlling them meant. Should their pacts, also, remain incomplete, there was the danger of failure.

“W-What if she’s lying to you? What if t-t-there isn’t a wa-a-ay to get that new life you want? And y-y-you’ve seen m-my family, we’re n-not exactly stable but we’re g-getting there... You c-c-could always wind up with something worse t-than even that.”

Ava pauses.

It’s true.

She could get something worse than them. Olai is horribly abusive towards Odin, neglectful towards his sisters and isn’t reliable. He is one of the few people Ava can say she hates. Wrathia, too, is a woman of deceit. And not even she comprehends the complexity her curse may have.

But other than that… a life with Odin would be wonderful. She could get the family and love she always wanted.

Odin awaits her response, stress knotted in his ribs. He keeps his mind from slipping by hoping. Hoping she may reconsider his proposal.

Ava steps back, “I don’t think this can work out. We want different things.”

Odin steps forward, “You s-say that but you know it isn’t tr-true. You know you’e l-l-lying to me. _Me_ _,_ Ava.”

She keeps her face as stoic as she can, “I cannot accept this. You will be unhappy with me, eventually.”

“How d-do you know that? How do you know w-what will happen d-down the line?”

“Because that’s the way it always is,” she replies, tone hard.

“Even with m-me you feel this way?”

He doesn’t believe it. Not out of refusal. Not out of denial. The words she says are wholly _false_.

He’s hurt that she thinks she can lie to him, and not even well…! He understands how much she wants a new life. But this isn’t the way to go about it.

“You can’t t-trust Wrathia to keep her end of the bargain. But you… c-can trust me. I t-thought…”

Ava begins to move away, turning as she goes. He follows with quick strides, blocking her.

“You’re going to stop me from leaving?”

“I s-simply don’t buy this. This is such a l-load of shit.”

“Odin—”

“No, Ava!” he says, feeling a rage in his chest, hot, frothing blood. “You can’t a-act like this isn’t real. And if it wasn’t r-real why… why would you make me b-believe that it was?”

Ava feels her chest tense, trying not to feel sick to her stomach.

As much as she desires him, that new life beckons, in the way the abyss urges people to fall.

She can’t afford to keep being distracted by him. Olai will continue to bully, perhaps even take extra measures against Odin, damaging him in the process. And she thinks of how, when she opened up to people, let them know her honest feelings, it would hit her back in the face tenfold. A new life with a family was all she wanted, and Odin, now... Odin is a sweet, gentle person. But there is so much uncertainty with him. The uncertainty of their victory, their demise, their relationship lasting, going further than mere carnality.

It scares her. Makes her anxious the more she thinks of it.

A life that she can create from magic… it’s in her control.

A world of her own.

No faults. No concerns. No heartache.

She looks him straight in the eye, harm threaded through her words.

“It’s not my fault that you’re gullible.”

Odin withdraws from the sting he feels, disbelieving. Yet… that was real.

He whirls around, leaving the room without another word.

Ava sits on the bed, head in her hands. It’s for the best, for both of them. It’s the right thing to do, she tells herself.

It’s the right thing.

()

She doesn’t see him the rest of the day.

()

Wrathia laughs, tracing one eyelid with makeup. She glances at Ava in the mirror, pausing her movements, “You dumped him?”

“We never dated, you harpy,” Ava states, taking a spot beside her. She picks up a mascara brush before tossing it down.

Wrathia heaves a sigh, applying strong eyeshadow, “Too bad, he was fun. For someone of his species.”

Ava glares at her, “He’s not a piece of meat, you know.”

“You sure threw him away like he was.”

Ava keeps her mouth shut. Scoffing, she folds her arms.

“I don’t know why you let his brother get to you. That moron can be incinerated in an instant,” Wrathia continues, snapping her fingers to accentuate the thought. “Olai is a pathetic, idle loser. He makes Tuls look competent. All the power of a god in your body and you let him order you around.”

“I do what I want,” Ava answers, unperturbed by her baiting. “And I want that new life.”

Wrathia reclines in her chair, “Was that what made you change your mind about that boy?”

Ava stands, hand on her brow. She turns around, “Look, it’s not that Odin is a horrible option. But I feel we were moving along too fast.”

“You’ve known him for years, and liked him before that. You got him, and he wanted you, then you do this. I agree your pact is important, but it’s not as though you couldn’t have kept him around a little while longer for good old romping.”

“You’re disgusting,” Ava remarks.

“All I am saying is, you had this one boy fawning over you, and you tell him to get lost without explaining your reasons for doing so. I’m not the disgusting one here.”

Ava grimaces.

She’d been thinking for a while what it meant, what it would entail, to be with Odin. That new life she has, beyond the armistice of twin souls, is where her destiny lies. In the time she’s come to befriend Odin, she found a courageous, empathetic, dignified individual.

But people change.

People are unpredictable. People abandon when they promise otherwise. People find better, promising futures. Sometimes, the person you love is never enough.

Maggie changed. Reformed, but Ava remembers the pain that cracked her esteem, leaving her vulnerable to Wrathia’s words.

Ava, too, changed.

Odin isn’t immune to potential.

Wrathia pulls a pipe from thin air, extending it until it lays flat in her palm. She glances at her host, “I don’t care what you do, so long as we kill TITAN. If this is your decision, stop bugging me and go sulk somewhere else.”

Ava decides to wake up. It’s better to be alone.

()

Raven walks along, hand trailing over the metal walls. She sings to herself, adjusting the gun slung over her shoulder. She needs to see if this one can work at last, having been jammed for a week. If not, they’ll need to toss it. No point in keeping a defective piece of equipment.

Crow, up ahead, waves her hand, “Hey, goin’ to see Olai about that one again?”

“I like this one,” admits Raven.

“It’s not going to work, ever.”

Raven rolls her eyes, dismissive, “Whatever. What are you doing anyway?”

“Looking for Odin, I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning during the meeting.”

Frowning, Raven speculates, “You tried his room?”

“Of course I did. I dunno where that son of a bitch went to,” Crow complains, annoyed.

Raven wonders where he could have gone. They will be arriving at that planet to replenish their rations tomorrow, and will need to discuss once more what everyone has decided to do. She had noticed a change in his demeanor, and assumed that he was getting better. He smiled more, at the very least. That would’ve made Mom happy. But now he’s not around, which makes for disconcerting news.

“Have you asked Ava?”

Crow raises a brow, blinking slowly, “I have not.”

Raven shrugs, adding, “They’ve been hanging out a lot more recently. I thought that, maybe, she’d have an idea of where he is.”

“He might even be in bed with her,” Crow states. At her sister’s disgusted impression, she waves a hand, “Oh you know they’ve been boning. It’s about time anyway, he’s liked her for years.”

Raven turns around to walk with Crow, agreeing, “It was obvious, but I don’t exactly want to imagine our dear brother’s sex life. Still, I wonder when they started. Dating, I mean.”

Crow smirks, “Pro’ly thought they were bein’ sneaky about it.”

Raven mirrors the grin, deciding the gun can wait. It’ll be funny telling them the jig is up.

()

Ava twists the key into her body, feeling wooden grooves adjust past tissue and flesh, creaks and squelches sounding together, as she pulls out the drawer. Hauling out the book, she flips through the contents, trying to decipher where the other remaining hosts could be. Two of them were still needed to defeat TITAN, but after three years, the clues stayed dry, even with the help of Odin and his family’s tracking abilities. There will need to be some modification in how to find them. They can’t very well keep on having just the five of them, plus the Arrow siblings.

Setting it back inside, Ava shuts her chest tight, and locks it.

She stands from her chair, adjusting the rope for her necklace, nails touching her horns. Tossing her hair, letting it fall back, Ava mulls over the next course of action. She told Odin no… which will prove to be challenging, needing the other as they do. It’s too late to take back what she said, but she and he must work out their conflicting aspirations to make this hunt a reality.

She turns at the sound of feet at her door. Quick rapping, and high voices. Not Odin. But not Maggie either.

Refusing to answer, Ava walks over to the back of her quarters, leaning against the wall. When the voices grow distant, leaving the area, she relaxes. She doesn’t want to see anybody. She wishes she could go and joke with Maggie, forget the numbness that pricks her insides. But she decides that it’s best no one speak to her for a while, unless it involves the mission.

Yawning, she stops it mid-way. She shakes her head, clenching her teeth.

No sleep. Not that.

()

“We’re going to be landing soon,” Olai informs the ship, dialing coordinates into the system. “We’ll need to be ready. Have we all decided what the plan is?”

Maggie exchanges looks with the other hosts, save Ava and Odin, who are not present.

Olai glowers at them, “Well, where are they?”

Maggie says, “Ava might be in her room.”

“Then go and _get_ her,” Olai demands, stalking off towards the sleeping quarters. Shoving past the lot of them, he casts a quick look at his sisters, “Where is Odin?”

“He’s not in his room,” they answer.

Fucking hell…

"Forget it, I'll go and get Ava myself, you three go scout for Odin _again_."

Olai storms off towards Ava’s room, pounding his fist on the door, “Hey! We have to go over details _now_. We’re arriving in sector—”

The door slides open. Ava stares up at him, arms folded with an expressionless facade.

“What do you think you’re doing delaying us? We need you two to come to the main deck.”

Ava’s look dissolves into one of moue, walking past his build blocking the entryway, “I don’t know where Odin is. I haven’t seen him in two days.”

Olai squares his shoulders, narrowing his eyes, “You… haven’t?”

“No, I have not.”

He follows her until they are side by side, inquiring, “Then where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Ava replies, icy. She glances at him, “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“As much as I disapproved of your little liaison, I didn’t think you would actually do it.”

Ava halts in place, “I do what I want. I keep telling you all this.”

Olai gently touches her chin with a knuckle, bucking up her head for a brief moment, “All you did was keep proving to me how much of a snake you are.”

Ava smacks away his hand with a sharp blow, flicks of flame catching his sleeve. He brushes them off with ease, continuing on. He comments, “Don’t take offense Ava. It only means you’re out for yourself.”

“So?” she snaps.

“It’s something we have in common. Not a bad attribute in the least,” he concludes, not giving her another glimpse.

Ava bites her lower lip, teeth piercing the soft skin. Wanting him to die. To burn. To suffer.

It really is best she and Odin never go further…

()

She eventually comes onto the main deck, heading to Maggie. The hosts stand in one collective lump, the Arrows in their own circle. Magpie even joined them, needing to understand the protocols and who would be on board with her and the ship.

Odin remains absent.

Ava feels her heart drop.

Her fingers twitch, pulling at her apparel.

Raven and Crow murmur to each other, casting sideways glances at the shut entrance and Ava. She pays them no mind.

Olai smacks down the flat of his palm, causing everybody to jump. He gripes, under his breath, “Where the _fuck_ is Odin?”

His three sisters give nervous looks.

“Did you find him at all?” he demands.

Crow clears her throat, “No, we aren’t sure where he is, exactly.”

“Why do I even you bring you at all if you aren’t even good at your jobs?”

Crow flushes several shades of mauve. Raven and Magpie quiet in distress.

Angry, Crow snaps, “You don’t have to be a dick about it, okay? We told you we can’t find him on this fucking ship! If you want him around so much, why don’t you quit being a lazy asshole about it?”

“Crow...” her sisters caution.

“You’re going to tell me off?” he reprimands, tone cold, loud. “Listen you little brats, we need that idiot to do this properly—!”

“This idiot i-is here. You don’t need to yell a-at them.”

Ava watches Odin walk in, hands in his pockets, hunched a bit; his eyes are bloodshot from lack of sleep, brows furrowed and his mouth a grim line.

Olai whirls at him, “Gods, it took you long enough! Where the hell have you been?”

“None of your concern,” he says. Odin meets his gaze, “Do you n-need me to hold your hand to do everything, or will you finally be a man about it?”

Olai and his sisters all have their eyes widen. Ava, too, blinks rapidly at the retort.

Olai’s eyes narrow to slits, he advances over to his brother. Odin remains in place, blasé.

“You hide from your duties for two days and think you can come around with this attitude?”

“I d-do what I want.”

At the phrase, Olai bares his teeth, hands clenched. Odin steps past him, heading to the keyboard to peruse the details of the venture. He looks at Crow, “We h-have everything ready?”

She nods, still in shock but regaining her tongue, “Yes, we do!”

“G-Good,” he answers. He turns to Maggie, “Know w-what you’re doing?”

Before she can respond, Olai punches Odin in the back, causing him to double over. The hosts step away, except Ava, who reaches forward with red in her eyes, fire at her fingertips—

Odin stands up and turns, delving his fist into the side of Olai’s face. He falls backwards a few paces. Propping himself up on his elbows, eyes wide with rage, he brushes his knuckles over his cheek. Odin crosses his arms, unapologetic.

“You arrogant prick...”

Odin cuts him off, “I’ve h-had enough of your attitude for today. I don’t care what you think, or d-do, but you will be going with our sisters, and you _will_ treat them with respect. And those three,”—he gestures to the awkward hosts—“will a-accompany you.”

Olai spits a little blood, arising to his feet. He sneers, “Why? Want some time alone with your who—”

Odin overtakes him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. He warns, in a hushed voice, “I t-told you, enough. Mom and Dad left _me_ in charge. And i-it’s high time you start behaving yourself, and not the snotty b-brat we all think you are.”

Olai shuts up, teeth clicking soundly. Odin releases him. Gives one last glare then addresses the group, “We will be l-landing in the span of thirty minutes, counting down now. Everyone, start p-preparing to dock and keep your guard u-up.”

Ava doesn’t move. Even as the rest of them filter out of the vicinity. She ignores Olai’s bitter gaze, the questioning eyes from allies. Keeps her eyes trained on Odin, who doesn’t spare her one solitary stare.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♪ It's getting hot in here~ So take off all your crippling depression and regret to allow the festering fury inside of you to build up. ♪

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's alive? Me! Kinda. But this story is alive! Barely. But in all seriousness, I do want to get this whole thing done sometime soon. Stuff has just been hard, but this fic definitely isn't going to any grave. I started this chapter back in March for my girlfriend but ha NOPE. Life. Even so, here's chapter 7! You beautiful nuggets.

 

Ava glances to her left. He doesn’t turn to her. He keeps his eyes trained ahead, out the window.

Magpie has gone to her quarters, keeping herself safe, per Odin’s instructions.

The rest have long left. Leaving them alone.

Alone.

Together.

She is not surprised by his need to keep his distance. She broke him, after all.

All to keep herself together.

The wholeness she has managed to find the last several years is… paper-thin. But it’s hers. And she needs to keep that wholeness intact.

It had been a difficult thing, deciding whether to leave him behind, or take him ahead.

Ava knows that this is the right choice. In order to achieve her life, her pact, she will need to sever him

from her life. For the last three years, she has come to the realization that she cares for him. She knows he cares for her, but going and chasing that desire is what will lead them to more heartache than is necessary. Losing Maggie had brought her untold grief. The idea of someone she loved leaving her again, without her wanting it, is terrifying. Lonely.

She can’t imagine _Odin_ leaving her. Not wanting to be at her side when this is all over, long after gods are dead. He says he loves her. But the next day after? A week after? Months. Years. One day, he can leave, too. And she wouldn’t blame him for walking out of her pitiful little life. Fantasizing about a relationship with him will do her no good. The poison inside her body will bleed into him from the mouth, down into his stomach, until he’s sick, retching, wanting her gone.

Deciding against him now will spare him the trouble of needing to be free.

Ava is no longer alone in the world. She misses the lack of attachment.

 

()

 

Odin struggles not to gaze at her. He feels her eyes on him, every minute. Every time, wanting him to look at her. He can’t.

Her telling him she didn’t want this…

He’d been such a fucking _idiot_.

Of course, _why_ would _Ava_ want to be with him, of all people?

He didn’t do anything the entire time he’d been apart from her. He’d gone into a catatonic state of self-reflection and analyzation. Peeling back the layers of interactions, trying to find one scrupulous detail that could’ve hinted at this. Prevented him from hurting this much. He hadn’t felt heartbreak this awful since—

The layers. The layers of interactions.

The years of getting to know her, suddenly under a sharp lens. What had happened to her that would make her not want to be with him? All the intimate moments, her body hot and wet beneath his own, clit against his tongue, hands in his hair and his name on her lips. All the other intimate moments, talking about their aspirations, the families torn from them at a young age, the need to be included. Everything pinpointed to her wanting it. Everything said _connection._ He had acted on it because he saw it. Odin does not pursue unrewarding feats. Feats that do not _want_ to be pursued. Yes, he has been attracted to her since he’s known her. Even then, when he hadn’t known her _name_ , there was a compelling yearning that went beyond demon and soul.

He felt it each time she breathed. He wouldn’t stop to help just anyone. Yet with her, it had been so easy to come to her aid, to help her with what she needed to be done. Despite his old mission back then, it felt natural. Listening to her, guiding her, it flowed out of him in a way that hadn’t in a long time.

Odin knew she liked him. It took a bit for herself to realize it, but Ava always comes to an epiphany eventually. He liked that about her; ever reliable.

None of this made sense.

He made his move because she seemed to finally know what she wanted. He resisted, but only because he knew it would blow up in his face, letting his guard down and now he’s paying for it. He’d gone and been gullible, as she said to him with venom. She hadn’t lied either. He was more gullible than he ever could’ve been.

He added another check to his mental list of stupid errors, leaving him embarrassed and vulnerable. But it still did not explain the full thing. She mentioned the pact. Which he understood was important, as all pacts are. Contracts between deity and mortal.

He knows hers is half-complete. TITAN remains to be slain, but it’s nothing she can’t handle.

He thought about Wrathia, manipulative and cunning. He thought that she might be the reason for the separation, but it made no sense either. Wrathia needs Pedri around and there is no real way to connect to him without Odin being nearby.

For a chunk of time, he believed she really didn’t care for him. That all of this had been a ploy to entertain herself. Illogical, but he allowed himself to be overcome by anger and distress. It didn’t make him feel better. For he knew that still wasn’t it.

Then he thought about Maggie.

The loss. The guilt Ava carried with her until Maggie took her back into her life. For a while, he had even thought Ava retained feelings for her childhood friend. So he respected the boundary in case she wasn’t ready to try for anything else, even if Maggie made it clear, quite often, she was only interested in men.

But it didn’t mean Ava was over it.

Odin had grappled with the concept of being second place. It was irrational, but the thought persisted.

As much as she cared for him, a dear friend all this time, he would never be on equal ground as Maggie.

He ruminated. Let the thought fester until he felt dizzy from rage.

In the middle of overlapping thoughts, drained from insomnia and vexation, a memory rose. A brief second of clarity. Ava, younger then, on the cusp of womanhood, no longer a child, but not having the self-esteem to realize that, telling him about her wanting to find fulfillment. Wanting to believe that she can get better. That she hoped all of this would be worth the fight. That her life is her life.

He realized it then.

Odin was second place to Ava herself.

Feelings conflicted, causing him to finally succumb to fitful sleep. He screamed into icy canopies, heat in the center of his chest, building building building building until it ruptured from his mouth. He tasted iron, hemoptysis in the form of dark soot and lava running down his body. It pooled around his feet. Burning. Melting the ice beneath him.

He stood on water. Clear. Black.

He refused to drown.

Heartbroken as he was, he wasn’t that boy from those years ago either.

His demon remained in the shadows, eyeing him.

Odin felt the fury remain with him. Stayed there, a tight knot.

 

()

 

The tension in the cabin continues to increase. There isn’t anything being said, or done, or acted on, or even thought about—is he even thinking about it? He has to be. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be so silent. Ava is halfway tempted to set something on fire, _just_ to have something happen.

Despite what happened, and the guilt forming in her gut, she doesn’t think she wronged him. Who would know what the future held? It’s why she had to deny him—that future could be so much grander than anything she could picture at his side. And he might have a larger life without her too.

Turning away from him, Ava walks to the other side of the spaceship.

This was right. This _is_ right.

 

()

 

Hours passed without delay, though it felt like eons passed them by. Odin still doesn’t pay her any mind, furious and craving and depressed and happy. A jumbled mess of emotion, which Odin never liked.

Ava is behind him, her reflection in the window he faces towards. Her back to him, hair swept from her face, she combs it with her fingers, a sign he learned equated to nervousness.

She’s nervous to be with him? She shouldn’t be, not when she has the upper hand, emotionally.

He knows that’s not entirely true, though. Ava may refuse to acknowledge it, but she isn’t content either. He doesn’t think so, at least… Still, it’s better than discussing what had transpired between them. Talking would… be painful.

Ava has moved to sit in one of the seats, continuing to not pay him attention. Odin feels the knot in him tighten harder.

“I’m g-going to check on things,” Odin states.

This sudden sound causes Ava to jolt, turning to him with shock, mouth agape.

He repeats what he mentioned, already heading out the door—

“Wait!” Ava says, getting to her feet. When he heeds her, she simply looks at him, amazed he even bothered to hear her out. Taking a breath, she continues, “Wait a minute…”

Odin keeps his gaze fixed on her face, even as her own drifts down to the floor.

Heart thumping hard and mouth dry against her tongue, Ava’s hands clench. She whispers, “Don’t go…”

“Why n-not?” he questions, tone even.

“I feel like, like… we need to talk this out. Talk about what happened.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

Ava looks at him, brow raised, “Oh, there isn’t?”

“No, there isn’t. There isn’t anything to talk about with you,” he reiterates, about to leave again.

“Now hang on,” Ava says, moving to stand next to him. “That’s a real load of crap, coming from you.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” he says, the knot tightening.

“You had wanted to talk about it not long ago!” Ava insists. “I think we should, if only to clear the air.”

“We don’t need to talk about it.”

“I know we’ve been standing in this cabin for two hours, and we’ve been awkward and tense and I hate it,” Ava tells him, not moving from her spot next to him.

“I don’t want to talk about anything involving whatever we had,” he says, unable to swallow.

“Say something else besides that!”

He tries to exit, “I have no desire to discuss this.”

She stands in front of him, “Why not?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But I want to talk about it!”

“No.”

“Talk to me.”

“I don’t want to—”

“We should, while everyone’s out.”

“No, leave m-me alone—”

“I feel like I should explain to you why—”

“I don’t want to know why.”

“We have to talk about this!”

“No we don’t, I don’t want to—”

“Odin—”

The knot unfurls—

“ _Gods Ava I don’t want to fucking talk to you!”_

She takes a step back, astounded at the volume.

“I don’t _want_ to fucking talk about this! I don’t want to fucking ease your own g-guilt about t-this decision you made on your o-own! Wh-What, am I j-j-just supposed to si-i-it h-here and le-let you tell m-me about w-why I’m not g-good enough for you? Am I s-s-supposed to s-s-sit here, and l-listen to you exp-p-plain w-why you don’t want to be with m-m-me? All so you can assuage y-your own s-shame about d-dumping me f-for no real reason?”

Ava feels her body bristle, her own anger defensive, “That’s not what it’s about!”

“Now w-who’s saying a real l-load of crap? After all these y-y-years we’ve been through, all we’ve f-faced together? After a-all the times we went b-behind our friends’ backs to s-sneak off and have sex, that’s n-not what it’s about?”

“You can’t blame that on me!”

“I’m n-not blaming that on you! We _both_ wanted i-it! I w-wanted it, you wanted i-it, and then you t-tell me you _aren’t_ into t-this idea anymore? The hell is wrong w-with you—?”

“Right because I’m the only screw up here! Like you didn’t _choose_ to go after me, and you touched me up the very first time! All you ever want is to be right, and never admit to when you’re being a hypocrite!”

“T-That’s not true! You’re g-going and victimizing yourself? How fucking _dare_ you? You b-broke it off with me! I’m not the one who withdrew, y-you were! Who _does_ that t-to another person—?”

Ava feels lava in her esophagus, coating the back of her tongue. She yells, “Me? _Me?_ You weren’t even into me until you thought you could get something out of it—”

Odin barks a laugh, harsh and disbelieving, “I didn’t w-w-want you before? I always d-did!”

That throws off her tirade.

She stares up at him, “You… did?”

“Yes! You’re f-fun to be around, you’re b-beautiful, you’re so m-much smarter than you gi-give yourself credit for, I _like_ b-being around you; and I t-thought you liked me too! I d-don’t… do this for kicks,” Odin says, crossing his arms.

Ava’s anger fizzles out, her emotions limp in her chest and shoulders. She looks at the floor. At the wall. Fingers oddly cold, she says, “I… didn’t know you felt that way.”

Odin doesn’t answer. Keeping his arms crossed, he walks back to his side of the ship. The knot in his chest is loose, wanting to keep screaming and letting her know how much it pains him to be angry. But he doesn’t want to let her know anything about him, if she doesn’t want to be with him.

“Odin… I’m sorry… I didn’t want to hurt you... I never did, honest!”

He peers over his shoulder at her.

“But, my pact, and the fact that we haven’t killed TITAN yet… everything about that, _all of it,_ terrifies me. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. To me, to _you_. There’s so much at stake… I thought I was doing the right thing.”

His eyes narrow, “You h-hurt me because you thought it was the right t-thing?”

“No! Yes…? I don’t know! I’m really confused and I didn’t mean for it to be this way,” Ava continues, hands in her hair, shaking her head. “I don’t know what I’m doing, or what I want! I just want everything and everyone to be okay! I thought this would be better, to avoid complications…”

“C-Complications will come up no matter h-how you go to solve it. B-Best thing to do is be honest and direct, before a-anything gets too far.”

“I realize that…”

Odin doesn’t reply.

Ava feels tears sting her eyes, evaporating before they fall. She steps closer, hand hovering before it falls back. She only steps up to his frame, standing beside him. She looks at his face, “I know we both wanted this, and truthfully, I didn’t think you’d want anything to do with me…”

“We’ve be-been friends for a long time now,” he says.

Sighing, she takes a seat, hunching over, “I know… I thought you liked me, but I guess I didn’t expect you to… reciprocate, as much as you did.”

“Y-You really don’t think you’re likable, do you?”

She glances at his boots, “I guess not.”

He takes a spot beside her, the warmth of his body comforting and painful. All that nearness, and trying not to think about how good it feels.

She looks up at his face, brows furrowed and neck taut with pent up frustration. Ava wants to caress his arm, and comfort him, but how can she do that when she’s the very person who harmed him?

“I didn’t want it to be this way,” she repeats.

Odin turns to her, “W-Why did you give me signals t-then?”

Ava knows she can’t claim she doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. For a good while, she’d been making it clear that she would like to advance in their relationship, test out the waters, see where it would lead. She had thought about it for a good long time. Odin was so kind and sweet, it was very easy to imagine romance between them. From the beginning, he’d shown her more compassion than anyone had since she’d been a child. And as time had went on, she really thought she should make her desire known to him. Odin is good at picking up subtleties. It’s why she never went too obvious. But, in truth, she’s never been very good at being direct. She let her hints come naturally, whether he picked up on it, or she consciously did it, was left to fate.

A lot of the time, she didn’t consciously do it.

Ava is a tentative individual, even with the rage she was born with. In the back of her mind, she wanted to give Odin a chance. However, further back in her head, she repressed emotions that made that possible. She always feared things not working out. She always feared losing people she loves. She always feared rejection. And so the motions came from somewhere deep inside her heart.

A touch on his arm. A warmer smile. A brush of her hand on his.

He managed to catch it all, while she remained out of tune with her emotions, defending herself from bad outcomes.

She’s always afraid.

But her desire for partnership, for love, outweighed that.

And when she had it, she fled.

She feels the tears come, and they don’t turn to mist.

Sniffling, she wipes them with the heel of her palms, “I… I gave… Odin, I— I thought that, maybe, m-maybe I was ready. I thought that I could have this, but then I started w-worrying, and thinking that if I make the wrong decision, I’ll be stuck with it… I’ve made _so_ many bad decisions. I keep hurting people when I make those terrible choices. Then I thought that maybe, I did it! I finally got something right, but then I started worrying _again_ and that maybe this isn’t how it shouldn’t be done…”

Odin places his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. He looks at the floor, “O-Okay…”

“I started thinking of the pact, of Wrathia, of TITAN, of the fact that we could all  _die_. Where would we be then? If we got together, what good would it do? Would we just be hurting ourselves? And… then…”

Odin tilts his head, staring at her. She meets his eyes.

“Then…”

“Then y-you thought that the pact m-might be better than me.”

She hangs her head, unable to keep their gazes locked.

“We can’t change our pacts,” Ava tells him.

Odin’s brows knit tightly together, teeth clenched. He drops his face into one hand.

“I asked for a new life. I have to see this through.”

Odin raises his head, stare focused ahead. He knows that she isn’t wrong. Their pacts are something that aren’t easily changed. He hasn’t taken the vial yet, wanting to prolong the devastating loss of control to darker inhibitions. For however long he can. But he and Pedri have pacted, their desires intrinsically linked.

His side of the pact doesn’t involve a new life, not directly. He knows Pedri is incapable of following through to the letter. Contracts are binding, but there’s fineprint to everything, and he wouldn’t trust his worst enemy with an aspect that ambiguous.

Livid as he feels, he wants to wrap his arm around her. They’re a little older, a little wiser, but still unsure of their futures.

Ava heaves a sigh, hands clasping together in her lap.

Odin unsticks his tongue from the roof of his mouth. Withdrawing his pipe, he stares at it for a moment. Shoving it back into his pocket, Odin leans back against the wall. Ava doesn’t move, uncertain of what else to say.

“Is t-there any other reason?”

“What?” she asks.

“Are there o-other reasons why you don’t w-want to be with me? I know I d-don’t have much to offer, but—”

“Oh, Odin, it’s not that. It’s never been about that,” she reassures him. She licks her lips, “But… I didn’t want to get in the way of you and your family… there’s that too.”

Odin straightens up, rigid. His expression is one of confusion, “I don’t u-understand.”

“I thought that I might be a distraction, from helping your family.”

“Y-You’ve _never_ been a distraction from my family, what are y—”

His mouth forms a thin line, every muscle in his body rigid.

“Olai.”

Ava gives a weak nod, “Yes, he and I spoke, but—”

“You d-didn’t break up with me because of _him_ , did you?”

“Like I give a damn about that idiot,” Ava says. “I broke up with you because I wasn’t ready, and I have to prepare myself for other things.”

Odin feels his chest become hollow. Somehow, that is both worse and better.

Ava gets up from her seat, walking a little away. Not looking at him, she says, “Every decision I’ve made, has been my own. This is one of them.”

“I k-know…” he replies, his left hand rising to land on his right shoulder.

Ava sighs, turning around to stare at him. His expression is disappointed and brooding. He might not ever forgive this.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Odin’s fingers dig into his shoulder.

“But that pact is a chance to have a life.”

Odin gets to his feet, “E-Enough.”

They gaze at one another, standing stockstill.

Ava opens her mouth to apologize, when a scream, shrill and terrified, breaks their silence.

Odin flies past Ava and she proceeds to run after him, hearing him shout his Magpie’s name. Panicked, worried, and as terrified as that scream, Ava feels guilt in her gut she distracted him she knows she did—

The two find Magpie dodging the swing of a cutlass sword. The assaulter doesn’t notice the pair, fixated on his sister—

Odin sprints, connecting his fist full force into their face. The break of bone and clay crack. The attacker fumbles, stunned. Under that cover, teeth sickly yellow, they slash upward—

Releasing an enraged cry, Odin pounds at their face. Each blow adding to the ringing in his ears. The attacker slams into the corner, slipping. Grasping the intruder by the collar, he pulls them back up, the material tearing in his hand. He shoves them against the wall.

Odin doesn’t relent.

Then, they fall.

Skin dark, breathing hard, the whites of his eyes red as the blood smattering his arms, Odin barely registers the unmoving form, swathed in brown and chartreuse colors, and that same red. Barely registers Ava holding Magpie, voices muffled by the blood in his ears. Barely registers their crew screaming as they run back onto the ship.

Ava shouts at them, guarding Magpie by standing in front of her. Maggie and his two sisters rush in, explaining that they got what they came for and needed to _go._

Ava leaves, Odin following immediately. Together, they run toward the closing gate of their ship, enemies swarming beneath, trying to climb in. Olai’s gun shoots rapid fire, echoing around them. Odin follows suit by picking up a gun and aiming below. Odin spares him a glance that isn’t returned.

Fire blazing in her palms, Ava allows it to breathe, forming into large spheres. She unleashes them from their orbs, furling outward into searing rays. The smell of burning flesh and ash waft up to them as the ship rises into the air.

The opening closes shut with a metallic clang.

Olai lets out a breath. He turns to the both of them, glaring. Then, to Ava, he says, “You kept him preoccupied.”

“She did n-nothing like that!”

Olai ignores him. He persists, “Did you or didn’t you?”

“Quit y-yelling at her!”

Olai whips his head to Odin’s direction, snarling, “Where _were_ you? We had been signaling on the communicators to ready the ship!”

Odin falters, confused, “W-We… We d-didn’t get a-anything…”

“How did you not? We had to message Magpie after we didn’t receive word from either of you,” Olai explains, voice harsh. “The trade and discussion had gone well enough, but these pitiful thieves tried to attack us when we got closer to the spaceship.”

“You _know_ there was always that possibility,” Ava says. “We’re not exactly on the most friendly planet.”

“And that makes it fine to not _respond_ to us?” Olai demands.

“Nothing happened, and no one got hurt,” she placates.

Olai scowls at her. Staring Odin in the face, so similar he wants to vomit, Olai sneers, “You punch me in the face one more fucking time, all while being a hypocrite, I’ll finish what your demon never could.”

Odin’s face doesn’t even twitch. Ava feels her insides inflamed.

Walking past, he leaves them alone.

Ava and Odin finally lock eyes.

“Are you okay?” she asks. She has her fingers an inch from his forearm, but she keeps her motion in check.

He nods, wanting to cup her face, “Are y-you?”

“Yeah…”

The ship hums with the whir of the engine. Ava’s gaze roves along the wall, the floor, his shoes, and back to his eyes. His gaze has moved to look at where they came from.

“He’s right. I did distract you,” she finally says.

Odin remains silent.

“I’m sorry…”

“When I said ‘enough’, I m-meant enough.”

No other words are shared between them. Odin heads in the direction of Magpie’s room, Ava watching him go.

Breath shaky in her chest, it wobbles off her lips. Taking another gulp of air, she releases it more slowly.

She collapses to her knees, allowing her pent-up cries to rake her throat raw.


End file.
